FarmOn.com, an Alberta organization focused on connecting young farmers with resources, information and people to help them get started or continue farming, is launching the #farmvoices movement on April 22, 2013. Also celebrated that day is Earth Day, a fitting day, says board member and farmer Sarah Wray, as farmers are one of the largest… Read More
Category: Industry Issues
Farm safety took on a new meaning for me when I first met Alberta farmer Cliff Breitkreuz Jr., on his meticulously kept farm near Onoway. That’s going back a few years. Cliff had typed me a letter (on a manual typewriter) and then surface mailed it, inviting me to his farm to talk about politics… Read More
Michele Payn-Knoper, agvocate, farmer and author, recently launched a book aimed at connecting consumers and farmers, in hopes of bringing some civility to the farming and food conversations happening today. The book is called “No More Food Fights,” and is written in two halves, with a bridging chapter to connect the two. One half of… Read More
Is there such thing as a perfect farm? If so, what does it look like? Is it a fixed size? Is it highly specialized, or incredibly diverse? The perfect farm is a concept that Gary Martens, instructor with the department of plant science at the University of Manitoba, brought up to me some time ago… Read More
Take it for what it’s worth (a relatively arbitrary list from The Daily Meal), but a recent who’s who of food puts farmers at the bottom of the list when it comes to who influences how and what we eat. The Daily Meal launched its “50 Most Powerful People in Food” list recently, ranking individuals… Read More
No doubt many farmers, if asked, would tell you that it’s the lifestyle that drew them to farming. That group would also tell you that you have to work hard in order to keep that lifestyle. That means treating your farm like any other business which means long hours away from the family at times,… Read More
It’s been nearly seven months since the Canadian Wheat Board became CWB — a pooling-focused wheat, barley and even canola marketing company operating in an open market. High cash prices since last fall had some expecting the pooling option wouldn’t be very popular, but as Ian White, CEO of CWB explains CWB isn’t just about… Read More
Almost 10 years ago, Canada got its global butt kicked when news broke about a lone case of BSE in Alberta. Naysayers everywhere – competitors and anti-corporate activists, among them — were lurking in the weeds, waiting for an opportunity to discredit our food system. The agriculture minister at the time, Lyle Vanclief, tried hard… Read More
Today, I have far more questions than answers. At FarmTech, I spoke with one farmer about the Alberta Wheat Commission — its proposed role, its goals, who was involved. It all sounded on the up-and-up and very noble, though I got the sense I had heard the speech before. Before that, in Saskatchewan, I spoke… Read More
When should you start succession planning? The earlier the better, says farm succession expert Len Davies. In the second episode of the Agricultural Management Institute’s (AMI) new farm succession video series, Davies takes us to the Veenstra family farm near Port Colborne, Ontario. Here we meet Andy Veenstra who shares succession tips and strategies he used… Read More
RealAgriculture.com is pleased to announce journalist and journalism instructor Owen Roberts of the University of Guelph begins a new weekly column this week, entitled “Real Talk, Real Action.” Each Thursday, Owen’s column will feature a new call to action for the agriculture community, related to a current agriculture event or news story. This new feature… Read More
Weed resistance has been a hot topic in Canada for the past number of years, with glyphosate resistance moving front and centre in the last year or two. In case you hadn’t heard, glyphosate-resistant kochia was confirmed in Alberta in early 2012 and, as of 2013, it’s been confirmed in south and west central Saskatchewan… Read More
What are the key steps that farm families need to consider when developing a farm succession plan? It’s a looming question for many farm families right now. To help in the process, the Agricultural Management Institute (AMI) has produced a new farm succession video series, viewed from the kitchen tables of Ontario farm families as… Read More
Young and beginning farmers have a lot hanging over them. Getting a business up and running, raising families, keeping up with all the latest in agriculture. It’s at that point that focus becomes critical. You can hit a point where you’re doing a million things and doing none of them well because you don’t know… Read More
Earlier this week, I lined up an interview with Dr. Jeannie Gilbert, a plant pathologist at AAFC’s Cereal Research Centre, Winnipeg, Man. I wanted to speak with her about the threat of fusarium head blight for 2013 and what farmers can do now to prevent or manage the disease. When I arrived, I soon learned… Read More